European Property Rights and Wrongs - Diana Wallis MEP

The petition was submitted on line in April 2006, accepted and the first hearing
of the Petitions Committee took place in November that year, with the President
and spokesperson of ‘Veins de Parcent’ present, along with the then Mayor
of Parcent defending the plans. Prior to the meeting all MEPs on the Petitions
Committee were informed by email of the case and its implications, asking for
their support and meetings were also held with a number of MEPS. Diana Wallis
from the ALDE group was already knowledgeable on the subject of urban planning
abuses in Spain due to her involvement in previous petitions from campaign
groups such as the AUN.
Viens de Parcent was successful in gaining support from a broad cross section
of MEPS. This united support, across country and political lines was key to the
petition being kept open and the Commission becoming involved in examining
potential violations of EU directives involved in the building plans. These challenges
centred on the lack of environmental and water reports and the potential
violation of free market regulations under the LRAU, an aspect which was subsequently
sited by the Commission in infringement proceedings.
Whilst this process was continuing we were fortunate to be included in the fact
finding mission of the Petitions Committee to the area and to be included in the
subsequent report approved by plenary of the European Parliament in July 2007.
In May 2007 the administration in the Parcent Town Hall was changed and replaced
by a CDP majority administration (Democratic Coalition of Parcent), a coalition
of local people, including the President and spokesperson of Veins de Parcent,
(who resigned their roles in the Association on being elected) who campaigned on
a platform supporting a more sustainable development for Parcent. Subsequently
the new council started the process of checking the legal status of the plans, confirming
the lack of the necessary environmental impact and water reports.
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor represented Parcent on two further occasions in
the petitions committee, where the Parcent case was investigated by Mrs Magrete
Auken MEP and included in her report approved by Parliament in 2009.
The effect of the continuous support of members of the Petitions Committee
for a resolution to the problems posed by the large scale urbanisation plans was
crucial in the eventual outcome of the case. Firstly it hugely raised the morale of
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European Property Wrongs